


Together

by TheLightFury



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst, Boys Kissing, Community: hp_drizzle, Divorce, Divorcing Hinny, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, HP Drizzle Fest 2019, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, James POV, Kissing in the Rain, Losing a Home, M/M, Men Crying, Mentions siblings but no dialogue, Moving House, Post-Hogwarts, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-09-01 04:30:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20252215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLightFury/pseuds/TheLightFury
Summary: 'He knew it was finally here. The event he’d been waiting for, anticipating, even dreaming of sometimes when their fights raged for days (not that they’d ever admit that) was finally here.And suddenly, he wasn’t ready.'Harry and Ginny finally face the fact that they aren't happy together as a couple. James, now twenty, takes the news harder than he expected. Thankfully, his boyfriend Teddy is on hand to help him get through it.





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> So! This was for the first fest I ever participated in, Drizzle 2019! What a ride this was!  
My prompt was Jeddy - Break-up and Dramatic Kiss in the Rain, and this is what came out of it! I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> To the prompter: I hope you enjoy this. I had a lot of fun writing it and it's very close to my heart.
> 
> To D - Thank you for being the inspiration for this, and a fantastic alpha reader. Your comments helped me have faith in my writing and gave me motivation to carry on!
> 
> To L - Thank you SO MUCH for being my beta! I know this wasn't your usual wheelhouse and it was short notice, but you did an absolutely brilliant job and helped incredibly! THANK YOU!!!
> 
> And to A - Thanks for putting up with me whilst writing this lol!

He’d known this was coming. 

It was obvious. The signs had been there even before he began Hogwarts, and his final year had long been and gone. It really wasn’t surprising. James had known they weren’t happy. He’d known they’d have to face it one day, and he’d even discussed it at length with Al, Lily, and, come to think of it, Scorpius once, when the guy had arrived to spend the night. 

When he’d arrived, everything downstairs had been deathly quiet, as it had been for the last 3 hours, parents too absorbed in their argument to notice the arrival of their guest. Scorp hadn’t even had to ask before Al had told him. The truth wasn’t a secret in the Potter family; or the Weasley family; or even the Malfoy family. It was as obvious and striking as his mother’s hair. It really wasn’t a shock.

Plus, James had noticed a change in his parent’s behaviour recently. Over the last week or so, there’d been less tension, fewer pursed lips, not as many muttered comments or rolled eyes. They’d spent more time apart; Dad had more nights out with Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, and Mum had spent more time on the Quidditch pitch with her team. All the while, an odd atmosphere James couldn’t quite place had seeped insidiously into the air. It was obvious something was coming. 

Yet as his parents sat Lily, Al, and him down, and started a long-winded conversation about loving them all, and not wanting to hurt them, and there never being a good time for things like this, and all the other horrible cliches that never reassured anyone but only delayed the inevitable pain and turmoil, he knew it was finally here. The event he’d been waiting for, anticipating, even  _ dreaming of  _ sometimes when their fights raged for days (not that they’d ever admit that) was  _ finally  _ here. 

And suddenly, he wasn’t ready.

He wasn't ready for the changes that would come. The "change of scenery", or the "new traditions". The two Christmases and different partners. The sorting and selling of their family home, because neither could live in the same house after the relationship ended. It was what he’d always known would happen,  _ should _ happen, even. 

But  _ fuck _ if it didn't still hurt. And right then, he wasn't prepared. 

That didn’t matter though, the fact that his stomach had dropped to the floor, or that he suddenly couldn’t see, or that his whole body felt ice cold all of a sudden. None of it mattered; the damning words still slipped from his mother’s lips, so easily, so simply. In that instant, he felt it. A new reality had begun. Like water gushing from a broken dam, it ran away from him, even as he stayed frozen in his seat. It leaped and bounded forward, dividing everything he’d ever known, colliding with hopes and dreams, sending them careening off course with no regrets. Destroying everything in a matter of seconds. Paralysed by the questions, worries, and emotions swirling dizzyingly through his mind, he could only watch as the very foundation of his entire life crumbled. 

Still, his mother and father took turns rambling on, oblivious to the house growing colder around him; oblivious to the damage their admission was causing. With every passing second, the realisation grew this was happening, that there was no turning back, that they were finally going to have to deal with the erumpent in the room, swelling painfully in his chest, crushing his lungs, his heart, his very soul. And suddenly everything, the words of his parents, the stoic silence from his siblings, the tick of the damn stupid clock that always made noise at inappropriate moments because Grandad really couldn’t fix things properly and Dad was just too nice to say so- absolutely everything was drowned out by the inescapable voice repeating in his head, ‘ _ I’m not ready for this!’  _

Before his parents had the chance to say another word, he found himself across the room, ignoring the protests of his siblings, hand automatically grabbing his jacket before the door slammed closed behind him. Then he was gone. 

*

He’d known it was a bad idea. 

The sky had been dark, stormy, and threatening. The mid-afternoon air had been heavy and full, growing more oppressive with each step. But he hadn’t been able to stop. Horrid, depressing thoughts were swirling in his head as emotions threatened to bubble over and incapacitate him.  Grief and worry nagged at him, gnawed at him, hunted him like an animal with every breath he took. He’d just needed to escape. He couldn’t face the truth, right now. He couldn’t accept what the divorce meant; how his life would change. So, like an animal, he gave into the primitive instinct to just  _ run _ . 

He didn’t know how long he ran for, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was moving. Blindly. Fast. Through streets, around corners, across fields. As long as he was running, he could pretend things were okay. Even when he was too tired to run, even as the rain fell, slowly at first, then more steadily, he never faltered. Stopping wasn’t an option. 

That was how James ended up completely drenched and freezing cold in the middle of the East Devon fields. Wandless. Physically exhausted. No shelter for miles around. And lost.  _ Perfect. _ He had no idea how long he’d been going, no idea whether anyone would be worrying about him, how long it would take him to get back, or even if he  _ wanted _ to go back. All he knew was that he needed to sit down, muddy puddles be damned. 

As the freezing water seeped into ungodly places (as if his day wasn’t bad enough already), the forces that had been snapping at his heels for hours finally managed to curl their vicious tendrils around him. In just a few ragged breaths, an unspeakable ache had claimed him, pounding through him with every heartbeat, chilling his already cold body from the inside out. Every other sensation faded. Every breath hurt. And everything was wrong, never to be right again.

*

“You’re a hard man to find, you know that?” 

His boyfriend’s voice shook James out of his numb daze as the Hufflepuff sat beside him. It was darker now, though the clouds were just as black as they had been before. Apparently dusk was closing in on him. Somewhere in the midst of the heartache, James’ mind had drifted, floating down the rain fuelled riverlets. There he’d been shielded from conscious reality, from the knowledge of the divorce, and from the painful truth of just how cold he was. He didn’t appreciate being brought back.

“Maybe I didn’t want to be found,” he snipped, scowling as he shivered violently. He knew he should be thankful that someone had taken the time to look for him. He also knew he should be overjoyed that they were interested in sitting in the freezing cold pouring rain with him, just to show that they cared. But he was miserable, and the rain had washed away any fucks he had left to give. Plus, Teddy seemed unaffected by his abrasive manner, merely lapsing into silence beside him, bright blue hair rapidly darkening from the rainfall, so it couldn’t have bothered him that much. So, making a mental note to apologise later, James simply frowned and turned his attention back to trying to stop his teeth chattering. It wasn’t going well.

“I’m sorry.”

It was barely audible over the roar of the rain; Teddy didn’t even look at him as he said it. But despite everything, the sympathy, the empathy, and the love in those two words were as loud and clear as one of Uncle George’s Wildfire Whizbangs. 

Of course, the statement was completely ridiculous. It didn’t solve anything, or even come close to comprehending just what James was going through. But still, something changed. As James’ feet began to cramp from cold, everything that had been spinning around in his head for the last few hours bubbled inside him, demanding an exit. Demanding freedom.

“It just doesn’t make  _ sense! _ ” he protested, the phrase jumping from his lips almost without his consent. “I knew this was coming! It  _ needed  _ to happen! They make each other miserable, and we all know Dad is desperate for a chance to go explore his sexuality. Plus, it’s completely obvious that Mum’s head-over-heels for Aunt Luna. So why  _ the fuck  _ does it still hurt this much?! I’m supposed to be happy for them! I  _ dreamed  _ of this day! I was the one dying for this to happen! So why am I sitting here in the middle of buck-fuck no-where, drenched to the bone, feeling like the world is ending just because my parents have finally admitted that they don’t work together as a couple? Like a stupid little  _ kid?! _ ” He panted for breath, eyes desperately searching for answers in his boyfriend’s. It was a mistake. Teddy’s eyes had taken on a beautiful shade of blue, his  _ favourite  _ shade, which he had a sneaking suspicion his boyfriend knew, even though he’d never admitted it to him, and instantly, all the anger left. The frustration, the annoyance, anything he’d held onto to cover the pain, the hurt, suddenly fled, clearing the way for a tidal wave of hot salt water.  _ Fuck.  _

He blinked rapidly, desperately trying to hide from Teddy’s patient, understanding gaze which still compelled him to talk.

“I mean,” he gulped past the lump in his throat, “It’s not like anything has physically changed, either, right now. They’re still living together, Al and Lils are still there in the house we all grew up in, I’m still around the corner. Nothing’s blown up, nothing’s physically broken, they’re still Mum and Dad… But…” He faltered, the same sense of complete loss washing over him again as he thought back to their living room, to the exact moment he’d learned that they were breaking up. Teddy was nodding, gesturing for him to go on. James shook his head.

“I don’t know how to explain it… It’ll sound stupid.”

“Just talk,” his boyfriend murmured, leaning towards him slightly. “You’re good at doing that.” The quip was accompanied by one of Teddy’s trademark crooked smiles that usually always had him cracking up, sparking a small pool of warmth in his stomach, soothing his nerves ever-so-slightly. Still, James shot him a glare, only resisting the urge to stick his middle finger up because he knew the effect would be ruined by his hand quivering too much. When Teddy chuckled to himself, James sighed, searching for the words.

“Ugh, I don’t know, it’s… It’s like there’s been this- this invisible force or something that has held us together for years, linking us as one unit, one whole family, all together, inseparable, just us, no matter how much I wanted it to include you too,” he scowled again. “And now… Like, the moment Mum said the words, the moment we knew that it was over, everything just... went cold. Like, that invisible link just… Disappeared. Evaporated. Dissolved into thin air. Fucked off entirely! Leaving us all on our own. It was like in that moment we lost our connection, our ability to be a family. We’re not one unit anymore. We’re… I don’t even know what we are, but it’s like we’re all on our own. And-and, the whole atmosphere changed too. It didn’t feel like  _ home  _ anymore. It sounds stupid, but before the house was like part of our family, like another member or something, and suddenly- It was like it just… Died. Suddenly it was  _ just  _ a house. A building. And an old crabby one in need of redecorating at that! It was like all of a sudden we didn’t belong. Like we were actually  _ intruding  _ for being there. I was an imposter in my own home...” 

He trailed off, allowing the rain to fill the silence with its incessant patter. Still Teddy stayed silent, waiting as James shivered, cold consuming him both inside and out.

“Fuck, I feel like I’m a twelve year old or something. I’m twenty for Merlin’s sakes, surely it shouldn’t feel like this! I don’t even know why it’s such a big deal... Like I said, it needed to happen, I don’t get why it’s so-so… Ugh, I don’t know.” He shook head violently, as if that would help, causing his hair to briefly stick up before the rain’s unrelenting force flattened it again. 

“What am I doing, Teddy? Why is this so painful?” A fresh wave of grief consumed him, tugging him quietly away from the world once more. In a matter of seconds, the cold was less biting, the wetness less obvious, the sound of the rain less overwhelming. Instead, pain was all that he could focus on.

“James? … Jamie… JAMES!” He had to blink several times to refocus on Teddy.

“Ye-uh?”  _ Well, that was coherent…  _

“Do you want a hug?” 

Teddy’s blue eyes were boring into his own; patient, kind, and loving. As James’ throat closed again, he could only nod. He barely had time to draw breath before Teddy’s warm, strong arms encircled him, gently wrapping around his waist and shoulders simultaneously. The sudden heat after so long of being surrounded by nothing but cold sent violent shivers down his spine, and James couldn’t help but burrow deeper into Teddy’s chest. Even in the torrential downpour, Teddy’s scent was so strong, so familiar. So safe. It was the last straw; carefully shielded in his boyfriend’s arms, his defences finally crumbled, unleashing wave after wave of pure, unadulterated anguish.

“I just… It hurts, Teddy,” he choked out, hot tears burning his frozen cheeks. A soft squeeze from Teddy tore a whimper from his throat. “I’m just not ready for this... For all the changes, all the different rules and houses, and saying goodbye to everything we knew, and… Ugh, I should be happy!”

“You don’t have to be ready, Jamie…” Teddy murmured into his hair. The Hufflepuff would forever be the only one who could call James that without receiving a swift hex to the bollocks. “It’s not something you’re ever ready for. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how bad a couple they were together. It’s still devastating when a relationship ends, and you can never prepare for it. Just like when someone dies. Sometimes you know it’s coming, but when it finally arrives, it’s still horrific. It still feels like you’re dying yourself. This is exactly the same. You’re allowed to hurt. If it didn’t hurt there would be something wrong with you.”

“When did you get so wise?” James snuffled, wiping his nose on Teddy’s shirt, coming away wetter than before. He felt Teddy huff a small laugh.

“When it comes to losing people and relationships not going the way you want, I’ve had more experience than most.” The Hufflepuff kept his tone light, but the simple sentence still felt like a sucker punch to James. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, squeezing the metamorphmagus as tightly as he could without hurting him. “I haven’t even asked how you feel about this. Been a bit of a twat.” He could feel Teddy smiling slightly against his hair.

“Jamie, they’re your parents. You’re allowed to be knocked arse-over-head and be self-centred for an afternoon. Merlin knows you usually are anyway!” Teddy laughed dodging James’ fist. 

“Piss off, Twatface,” he pouted, but as Teddy wound his arms more securely around him once more, he couldn’t resist resettling on his boyfriend’s warm chest. 

“Seriously though, how are you? With all this, I mean?” 

“I….” Teddy sighed, playing absentmindedly with James’ hair as he considered his response. It felt heavenly. 

“I’m sad,” he finally stated. “It’s the end of an era. Like you said, you’re no longer that unit, they’re not that power couple anymore, and your house- which I’ve always seen as the next Burrow, for some reason- won’t be there anymore. And that’s the bit I’m most sad about, I think. I  _ love  _ your house. It’s always so bright, so happy, even when you and Albus are bickering continuously. I love the fact that anyone can just walk in and sit down as if they belong; I really needed that growing up. I always had the option of going to yours. Even though others said I was always welcome, it wasn’t the same. Like, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione would never have turned me away, but they always had their own busy lives. And Grandma and Grandad, they’d often just had others around, and no matter how much Molly loves entertaining, sometimes they needed a break because they were getting older. Even Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur’s place sometimes wasn’t a decent option due to time of the month and things. So although I was always told I would be welcome, I always felt like I was intruding, or like I was inconveniencing them somehow. But your house was always open, no matter what time of the day or night. So it was my favourite.” He paused before continuing.

“You don’t remember, but at one point, I would often change my appearance to look older and slip out of Andy’s house, just to come sleep on your sofa, surrounded by the noise of you all in your house.” James pulled back slightly to look at his boyfriend; of all the stories he’d heard about them all growing up together, this wasn’t one of them. Teddy swallowed before continuing.

“I went through about a year when I really struggled with not having parents, and even when I got over it, sometimes it would hit me out of nowhere, or around an anniversary, and I’d end up back in your living room at a random time of day or night.” He gave a sad half-smile, staring beyond James’ shoulder. “Your mum would usually be the one that found me, and she’d just put a blanket over me, or make me a hot chocolate, or go and get your dad depending on what mood I was in, because somehow she always knew what I needed. And suddenly, everything would be a little bit more okay. And, I really don’t want to have to deal with the fact that I won’t be able to run to the same house if ever that happens again, or if something else happens and I just… Need to feel safe, you know? It’s stupid, I know.” He forced a laugh and shook his head. “It’s just a house. I can go and find you or Harry or Gin or anyone, anywhere. But, you’re right... It’s like another member of the family.” He swallowed again, voice thick. “There are so many memories there, and I don’t want to say goodbye to that.” Finally, his voice broke, and he lapsed into silence. James nestled in closer, squeezing him gently, tears once again stinging in his eyes. He felt his boyfriend take a deep breath.

“But at the same time, I never saw your parents as a couple in the same way that you did. Probably because I didn’t live with you. When I was growing up, I mostly saw them together at family parties, when everyone was there and they spent time separately, catching up with the rest of the family. I got to see them individually far more than I saw them together. I’ll miss seeing them smooch and embarrass you lot, obviously,” he joked, “but, I’ll still see them at parties. It’s just that now they’ll be smooching with other partners that make them happier, and… I can’t imagine how painful that would be for you, so I’m sorry about that, but… part of me just really wants to see them happier again. Like you said, Harry’s desperate to get out and try a few things, and I want him to have that. He works so hard to keep everyone happy, it’s about time he got some happiness  _ just  _ for himself.” James couldn’t help but nod in agreement. He knew his dad was happy with them, and loved his mum as a friend, but- he wasn’t  _ fully  _ there, he wasn’t as happy as he could be. He really did have a saviour complex, Mr Malfoy was right…

“So although I’m sad because I’m going to miss that house,  _ so much _ … And I’m sad because it’s the end of an era… I’m… I think I’m mostly okay, because I’m not losing as much as you, I guess, and I can see how this is going to be better for them, and eventually you, too... Does that make sense?” 

“Yeah… Yeah it does.” He nodded as Teddy cleared his throat, letting out a deep, slow breath. As the rain continued to hit them from every angle, an ocean of pain, grief, and memories fell around them, filling their thoughts, as their fingers unconsciously clutched at one another. Minutes passed, shivers increased, and pain raged, but neither of them moved, enveloped by heartache and each other’s embrace. 

“What are we going to do?” James finally broke the silence, voice embarrassingly small against his boyfriend’s chest. A gentle kiss was pressed to his temple.

“We’re going to mourn,” Teddy stated, simply. “We’re going to go ho-” He stopped, sighing. “We’re going to go back, when we’re ready, take a hot shower, dry off, have a hot chocolate and order any food that we want. We’re going to chill out and watch movies, or play on the Xbox, or do anything we want, because we need to look after  _ us _ . And in the next few weeks, months, or even years; we’re going to be honest with each other about how we feel. We’re going to take time to grieve, and recognise that it’s okay to be upset. We’re going to be there for each other. Talk about this. And most of all, we’re going to do this…”

Teddy’s warm hand cupped James’ cheek, stroking it tenderly as he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of James’ head. Despite everything, a half-smile crept onto James’ face. His boyfriend adjusted ever-so-slightly. 

“And this…” Teddy murmured again, bringing his lips to a patch of hair just below where he’d kissed a moment ago. A shiver of pleasure ran through the Gryffindor as Teddy gently moved his hands to cradle his head, tilting it, just a little, so that Teddy could reach further down, until he was just above James’ ear.

“And this…” James’ heart fluttered, sad half-smile transforming into a true, fond beam as Teddy worked his way across his skin with slow, tender kisses. With each touch of his boyfriend’s soft lips, to his temple, then his forehead, then his nose, warm sparks of love shot through James, melting his grief, thawing his very core, wrapping him in a gentle happiness despite everything. Still, his boyfriend kept going.

“And this…” Teddy kissed James’ left cheek, pulling back as if to aim for his right one next, but the Gryffindor had other ideas. As Teddy leaned in, James turned, capturing Teddy’s beautiful lips with his own. A surprised ‘mph’ had him grinning softly into the kiss.

Soft, wet heat rushed to meet him, as Teddy’s mouth willingly opened under his. James found his breath hitching in excitement, in love, in  _ need _ as their lips moved in tandem, slowly roving over one another, savouring the taste, the feel of each other’s skin. As frozen bodies met, hands carefully caressing each other’s cheeks, neck, hips, hair, hot breath passed between them. Warm lips, with just a hint of bite, tugged on James’ lower lip, drawing him back in for more, and tongues leisurely, reverently explored the other’s mouth, pulling soft keens of pleasure from them both. As the kiss continued, joy, actual joy flooded through James, as for the first time in hours he felt as though he could actually  _ breathe.  _ All the while, the rain poured steadily, both of them flinching when a particularly big drop hit them. James couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him. 

“I like your plan,” he murmured, resting his forehead against Teddy’s, heart still beating too quickly as his stomach filled with warm fuzziness. Teddy’s eyes twinkled back at his, a slight flush resting on his gorgeous cheeks. James savoured the sight.

“Good. Fancy going back now? Or do you want to take some more time out here?” James wrinkled his nose; the laugh he got from Teddy in return made his heart skip a beat.

“No, thank you. If I stay out here any longer I’ll shrivel up into a prune.” 

“That can still be arranged!” Teddy quipped, pressing another quick kiss to James’ lips before he could react. No matter how hard James tried to glare at his boyfriend, he couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at his lips. 

“Come on then.” Teddy pulled away gently, standing up and holding out his hand to James. The Gryffindor grasped it, trying to haul himself up, but failed spectacularly. After so long sitting in the same position, frozen to the bone, his body didn’t find the idea of moving appealing. But, with much creaking and complaining, and lots of support from Teddy, he was soon heaved to his feet, where he promptly rested most of his body weight against his boyfriend, ready to side-along back to Teddy’s flat. To warmth, dryness, and comfort. Before they could leave, however, he paused. 

“Teddy?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s… It’s not going to be easy, is it?” He asked, knowing the answer even as he uttered the words. In answer, strong arms squeezed him once more.

“No, Jamie, it won’t be. But we’ll do it. Together.” His tone was so sure, so confident. Eyes so determined.  _ Merlin  _ but he loved him. Biting his lip just a little, James took a deep breath and nodded.

“Together.” He smiled shakily, then grinned fully as Teddy swooped down with another kiss. He’d barely caught his breath before Teddy had apparated them away.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!!! Comments and/or kudos are always appreciated! <3
> 
> * * *
> 
> **MOD NOTE**: This story/art is part of an anonymous fest: drizzle 2019. Reveals will be in mid-october. Please do not repost anywhere else without explicit permission from the original creator.
> 
> * * *


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